Thursday, February 11, 2010

Does Sen. Meeks have it right? Bill would strip local school councils of principal selection, budget powers


Grassroots education advocacy groups are reeling from the news that state Sen. James Meeks filed a bill Monday that would strip local school councils of their most important powers, including selecting principals and controlling their school’s discretionary funds.




The bill would make LSCs merely advisory boards and would transfer their authority to the Board of Education.



Meeks, a Democrat and the pastor of the House of Hope, a megachurch on the Far South Side, did not return calls on Wednesday.



Chicago Public Schools spokeswoman Monique Bond issued a statement that “Meeks has been a champion of school reform and education and his efforts to ensure that students are receiving the best educational opportunities is consistent with our mission, and we look forward to reviewing the legislation.”



But Bond did not respond to follow-up questions about whether CPS officials knew Meeks planned to submit the bill and whether the district supports it.




http://www.catalystchicago.org/notebook/index.php/entry/545/Bill_would_strip_local_school_councils_of_principal_selection%2C_budget_powers

1 comment:

  1. I can't comment on the dynamics of LSCs. But I know that lately he's been advocating in favor of school vouchers. To be sure I haven't researced the issue enough to say whether or not is a good idea. What I do support is in finding alternatives to the gov'ts monopoly on education. If the schools fail in provided that crucial service shouldn't there be alternatives and should there be continued public investment. If they produce then that can only justify it. We should discuss this issue especially if we're in a time where public dollars have to be spread very thin.

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